Certain dementia drugs may quicken Alzheimer's symptoms, decline

Clinical trial participants receiving concomitant medications for dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease — particularly memantine added to cholinesterase inhibitors —showed faster rate of cognitive decline, according to data published in JAMA Network Open and reported on by Healio.

“Clinical trials of new therapies for [Alzheimer’s disease] typically allow participants to continue receiving [cholinesterase inhibitors] and memantine during the trial if the dose remains stable,” Richard E. Kennedy, MD, PhD, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues wrote. “Thus, it is critical to know whether participants receiving these concomitant medications differ significantly from those not receiving these medications, particularly if such differences may affect trial outcome.”

According to the researchers, findings from prior observational studies suggest that participants experience greater rate of cognitive decline when they continue receiving concomitant medications, including cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine. The current study examined whether concomitant use of cholinesterase inhibitors or memantine affects cognitive outcomes in Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials.